Oil-stove



Y OIL STOVE. No. 543,790- 'Patented my 3o, 1895. g' 259.1.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. WILDER, OF NORTI-IAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

olL-sTovE.

sIfEcIFIcATIoN forming part of Letters :Patent No. 543,790, dated July30,1895.

A Application filed March 26, 1895. Serial No. 543,268. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM H. WILDEE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Northampton, (F1orence,) inthecounty of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Oil-Stoves, of which the following is aspecication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.My invention relates to oil-stoves of that class in which a wick isused, and while I have shown the 'invention as applied to this class ofstoves adapted for cooking and other domestic purposes, the inventionmay also be applied equally as well -to stoves adapted wholly for otherpurposes, such as heating.

It is the object of my invention to dispense with the reservoirheretofore generally in use, surrounding the wick-tube and communicatYing therewith by an oil duct or passage, and to place the reservoir at adistance from the wick-tube and in communication therewith by means of asupply-pipe or other passage.

Further, it is my object to provide for the automatic feed of the oilfrom the reservoir to the wick-tube, so thatthe oil-supply in the saidwick-tube shall be maintained at a uniform level at all times, thusgiving a more regular combustion and a more uniform heat.

It is a further object of the invention to not only maintain the oil ata uniform level in the wick-tube and to automatically add to thissupply, but also to have the oil-level sustain a certain relation to thetop of the Wicktube, whereby, with a standard quality of wick having adetermined lifting or capillary7 power, the distance between the saidoil-level and the top of the wick-tube will be such that only sufficientoil for perfect combustion can be raised to the burning-point of theWick, the result being that should the wick be raised too high or beyondthe proper point the supply of oil will immediately diminish by reasonof the height of the wick exceeding its lifting power from theoil-level, and the serious and objectionable smoking so common in thisclass of stoves will thus be avoided.

A further object is to provide such a relation between the wick-ring orother means for securing and carrying the wick, -the wickv raiser, andthe oil-level, definitely determined and automatically maintained asaforesaid,

whereby the wick in the operation of the wick-raiser will-be liftedentirely out of the oil or above its level in any abnormal position `ofthe raising means, or, in other words, the relative arrangement of theparts is such, where the ordinary wick-ring is used, that the bottom ofthe wick will leave the level of the oil as soon as the wick-ringprojects beyond the top of the wick-tube; and finally I have laimed toprovide a simple form of valve for the reservoir adapted to theautomatic feeding ofthe oil.

The invention consists in the devices and combinationsfof devices forattaining the objects above referred to.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of an oilcook-stove embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a sectional view throughthe reservoir, showing thevalve mechanism. Fig. 3 is a detailedsectional view showing the relative arrangement of the wick-tube, theraising means, the wick-ring,

and the oil-level.

In the accompanying drawings, the frame of the stove is shown at A ascomposed of flat metal bars suitably braced and strengthened with a topplate B and a drip-pan O beneath the burner D. The burner is supportedby a frame E, connected at its ends to the legs of the main frame, beingbent together to embrace the lower partof the burner and to hold thesame securely in place. The burner is composed of a wick-tube with innerand outer air-tubes, and is of the type known as acentral-draft burner,and needs no particular description in this case, except as hereinafterreferred to. The combustion-chamberF surymounts the burner, and locatedabove the combustion-chamber is a grate G supported by the top plate ofthe frame.

Located to one side of the burner and at a suitable distance therefromis a reservoir H, which is supported in-a receptacle I, having anoil-chamber, and from this chamber I extends an oil-duct K to thewick-tube L. There is an oil space or chamber, as shown in the sectionalview, between the reservoir H and the receptacle L, and the reservoir isin connection with this chamber through an opening in the bottom of thereservoir, as at a, this opening being closed by a valve b, the spring cencircling the lower reduced end of said valve and tending to force itconstantly upward to close the opening a. The valve has a stem d, whichextends up through the reservoir, and through a filling-openingin thetop thereof, into a space e, covered by a removable cap f. On theremoval of the cap f to fill the reservoir the spring c immediatelycloses the valve b and the reservoir can then be filled without the lossof any oil from the reservoir through the opening a, but after thereservoir has been filled and the cap f is screwed in place, themovement of the cap in contact with the stem d forces the stem downward,which opens the valve b. The oil will fiow out into the space below thereservoir, and from this space will flow down the tube or passage K tothe wiektube L until the oil in said wick-tube reaches the level of'thatin the chamber I. As the oil is lowered in the chamber I to uncover theopening a to the reservoir, airentersthe saine to discharge more oil,and thus the feed is made automatic and the level of the oil ismaintained.

One of the most serious objections tothe use of oii-stoveshas been thecare necessary to prevent the smoking of the stove and the disagreeableodor incident thereto. This arises from the fact that the wick is turnedup at the time the stove is lighted, and as it takes a little time toget the oil iiowing, what appears to be a small flame in starting thestove will soon grow as the feed of the oil increases, and in a littlewhile will begin to smoke, because the wick is too high and the amountof oil fed thereto is in excess of what is required for perfectcombustion. I have overcome this serious difficulty in avery simplemanner by providing for the automatic feed of the oil and maintainingthe oil in the wick-tube at a predetermined level holding a certainrelation to the top of the wick-tube or the burning-point of the wickprojecting therefrom, this relation varying slightly Within certaindefinite limits, depending somewhat upon the character of the oil, butto a greater extent upon the quality of the wick usedanditscapillaryorliftingpower. Then the qualities of the oil and wick havebeen ascertained the level of the oil is maintained in the wicktube at aheight from which the wick is only capable of lifting a sufficientquantity to produce perfect combustion, and it will thus be seen that assoon as the wick is raised above its normal position the How of the oilimmediately diminishes and the llame, instead of smoking, as underordinary conditions, subsides with the subsidence of the oil.

Another important advantage arises from the relative location of theoil-level and wicktube top, in that all seeping is prevented, by whichterm I mean the action of the wick when the stove is not lighted, oflifting the oil and causing it to overflow the wick-tube in case thewick projects slightly, but by reason of the relation of the oil-line tothe wicktube top not only is the smoking prevented, but also thisseeping action.

The wick is ordinarily connected to a wickring or anV equivalent device,and is raised or lowered by wick-raising means engaging said wick-ring,and it sometimes occurs that the wick is raised to an extent whichexposes the wick-ring or raising devices and an undue portion of thewick, subjecting the former to the action of the flame, and in order toobviate any difficulty of this kind I have made provision, by therelation of the wick-ring with the wick-raiser and the oillevel, wherebythe wick is lifted from the oil in any abnormal movement ot' the raisingmeans, such as in the lifting of the upper edge of the wickrin g abovethe top of the burner, which would expose a part of the wick in excessof its working surface, and while in this position the wick itself ofcourse will burn, and the small amount of oil which it contains, yet nomore oil would be fed to it and the danger would be reduced to aminimum.

In the detailed figure the wick-ring is shown at g, the wick-raiser ath, and the oil-level at t', the relative position of the parts toaccomplish the cnd soughtV being shown in this iigure.

What I claim is 1. In anY oil burner, a wick tube and wick, an oilchamber, a reservoir adapted to automatically discharge into the oilchamber, and maintain the oil supply at a uniform level, the top of theWick tube holding such a rela tion to the ascertained oil level thatwith a wick of an ascertained capillary power, sufficient oil and nomore will be constantly delivered to the flame for perfect combustion,substantially as described.

2. In an oil stove, a wick tube and wick, an oil chamber,a reservoiradapted to automatically discharge into the oil chamber and maintaiu`theoil supply at a uniform level, wick raising means bearing a uniform relation tothe bottom of the wick and having such relation to theascertained oil level whereby the wick is invariably lifted above thesaid oil level in the abnormal position of the raisd ing means,substantially as described.

In an oil stove in which a uniform oil level is automaticallymaintained, a wick tube, an oil chamber, a wick ring and wick raisingmeans arranged relatively to the wick ring whereby the bottom of thewick invariably leaves the ascertained oil line at the moment the Wickring reaches Vthe top of the wick tube, .substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM Il. W'ILDER.

Witnesses:

HERBERT D. BURNHAM, HATTIE M. GATES.

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